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H&S News September 2009
| Midlothian roofing contractors fined after worker fells ten metres through factory roof. |
| TQR Ltd fined £6,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. David O'Neill, a sub contractor, fined £3,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. A 19 year old worker fell almost 10 metres into an occupied factory whilst carrying out refurbishment work on the roof of a building. The building owners contracted TQR Ltd to carry out repairs to the roof. TQR Ltd subcontracted the work to David O'Neill, who supplied the labour for the job, working under the direction of TQR Ltd. The injured person stepped onto an unprotected plastic fragile rooflight at the ridge of the roof, rooflight gave way and he fell to the factory floor below, sustaining serious injuries. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release 31/8/09 Week ending: 04/09/09 |
| Moving heavy goods safely. |
| Moving heavy loads incorrectly causes almost a third of deaths in manufacturing industries, and the tragedy is that just a few simple precautions could have saved all those lives. |
Health and Safety Newsletter (20) August-September 2009:8-9 Week ending: 04/09/09 |
| HSE propose changes to Biocidal Products Regulations 2001. |
| HSE is aiming to make some simple changes to the Biocidal Products Regulations 2001. HSE is asking current duty holders to view the draft proposal of changes and give their opinions via an online questionnaire. The draft proposals contain 3 main amendments from the current regulations which are: keeping biocides on the market after 14 May 2010, updating references in the 2001 Regulations and adjusting the 2001 Regulations. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/consult/condocs/biocidesletter.htm HSE (National) Press Release E072:09 1/9/09 Week ending: 04/09/09 |
| Big brother's star builder 'steps up' to promote ladder safety. |
| Professional builder and Big Brother star Craig Phillips says 'safety' is key when working up ladders. The construction entrepreneur and winner of the first series of the reality show gave his support to the HSE ladder safety campaign for 2009. The campaign centres around a 'ladder exchange' which gives anyone the opportunity to get rid of old, damaged and broken ladders and trade them for new ones. Over 5000 ladders have been exchanged under this scheme sine it first launched in 2007. |
HSE (National) Press Release E073:09 1/9/09 Week ending: 04/09/09 |
| HSE warns carers as BUPA lands fine for training failures. |
| Bupa Care Homes (CFH Care) Limited fined £15,000 and costs of £10,500 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Muriel Lindley, an 80 year quadriplegic, fell from bed whilst being dressed by a lone, inexperienced care assistant. She suffered fractures to both legs in the fall, was admitted to hospital where she died nine days later. HSE is warning carers and care home operators to ensure they follow the correct training and procedure for moving and handling elderly, frail or disabled patients. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/YH/330/2009 3/9/09 Week ending: 04/09/09 |
| William Roy Panton Petrie |
| Fined £3,000 under WHR 2005. William Roy Panton Petrie t/a Highland Timber Buildings. This report arises out of the investigation of a serious accident in which the injured person fell 3.5 metres from the roof of a timber cattle shed, which was under construction. The fall resulted in the injured person suffering major injuries to leg. |
HSE Prosecution 4057436 22/6/09 Week ending: 04/09/09 |
| Snowflake Animal Bedding Ltd |
| Fined total of £16,700 under PUWER 1998 and HASAWA 1974 s2. Prosecution following injuries to a migrant worker who accessed a shredding hopper whilst operating. The company failed to ensure that a safe system of work was devised and implemented for the task of loading bales of hay and straw and to ensure that appropriate information, instruction, training and monitoring was provided to employees expected to carry out this task. The investigation identified the company had not ensured all of its employees operating FLTs were appropriately trained. |
HSE Prosecution 4150088 22/6/09 Week ending: 04/09/09 |
| Brentwood County High School |
| Fined £1,500 under WHR 2005. No separate penalty under RIDDOR 1995. Prosecution action against the Governing Body of Brentwood County High School following a caretaker falling 3m through a fragile canopy. The school failed to plan, supervise or carry out work at height safety and took a year to report the incident instead of within he required 10 days. |
HSE Prosecution 4137161 23/6/09 Week ending: 04/09/09 |
| Crest Engineering Co Ltd |
| Fined total of £13,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and PUWER 1998. Safety guards were found to be missing or not in use on several 'milling' machines used to shape metal. The company had previously been ordered to replace the guards on the machines but they were later removed or unlocked. The company failed both to ensure the safety of its employees and to make sure that the machine guards were well maintained, in an efficient working order and in good repair. |
HSE Prosecution 4159979 23/6/09 Week ending: 04/09/09 |
| Dairy Farmers of Britain Ltd |
| Fined total of £10,000 under WHSWR 1992. An employee who was operating a ride-on pallet truck collided with a FLT, resulting in multiple fractures to the right leg. Poor management of internal traffic routes, poor condition of traffic route surfaces and lack of training on the ride-on pallet truck. |
HSE Prosecution 4144505 24/6/09 Week ending: 04/09/09 |
| Sacone Environmental Ltd |
| Fined £12,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Failure to control exposure to hydrogen sulphate gas given off in waste pit intake area. Two workers affected (hospitalised) ? inadequate assessment of the hazard and control of the risk. No monitoring or adequate ventilation of the poisonous gas. |
HSE Prosecution 4081271 25/6/09 Week ending: 04/09/09 |
| Eastbourne Buses Ltd |
| Fined £100,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. An employee returned his bus to the depot, parked behind another bus, descended the cab, walked in front of his bus and the bus he parked behind reversed and crushed him between the 2 buses. The employee received fatal injuries. The underlining cause of the accident was that a suitable and sufficient risk assessment had no been carried out on the activity of taking buses out of bus lanes. Thus no safe working procedure/system of work for removing buses from bus lanes when allocated vehicle was behind another vehicle had been identified. |
HSE Prosecution 4118920 25/6/09 Week ending: 04/09/09 |
| Shearwater Marine Services Limited |
| Fined total of £400 under DWR 1997. |
HSE Prosecution 4116297 25/6/09 Week ending: 04/09/09 |
| Mr S Barnett |
| Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s37. An employee returned his bus to the depot, parked behind another bus, descended the cab, walked in front of his bus and the bus he parked behind reversed and crushed him between the 2 buses. The employee received fatal injuries. The underlining cause of the accident was that a suitable and sufficient risk assessment had no been carried out on the activity of taking buses out of bus lanes. Thus no safe working procedure/system of work for removing buses from bus lanes when allocated vehicle was behind another vehicle had been identified. |
HSE Prosecution 4118946 25/6/09 Week ending: 04/09/09 |
| The Truro Diocesan Board of Finance Limited |
| Fined £3,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and No Separate Penalty under GSIUR 1998. Fault on gas appliance caused delayed ignition and resulted in an explosion causing glass panel to smash and cause injury to domestic resident of parsonage. No service history of gas fire. |
HSE Prosecution 4126211 26/6/09 Week ending: 04/09/09 |
| Blind daredevil makes health and safety pledge by plunging off waterfall. |
| A blind daredevil hit back at so called "elf and safety" myths by making a daring descent over a freezing Scottish canyon. Dean Dunbar braved 2 massive waterfalls on the 100m descent along with an inspector for the HSE to disprove the popular perception the organisation stops people enjoying life. Adrenaline junkie Dean has Cone-Rod Dystrophy an inherited progressive disease of the eye. He runs a highly successful Extreme Dreams website helping people with disabilities find companies willing to help them take part in extreme sports, in addition to selling specialist sports equipment to extreme activity enthusiasts. Extreme Dreams is the thousandth organisation to sign up to the campaign organised by HSE to urge employers to focus on real risks not trivia and pointless paperwork. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release 10/9/09 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Men at work. |
| Measures to avoid dangers due to roadworks and closures have been introduced into the UK through a new permit scheme. They include the country's first street works permit scheme in Kent, a new series of compulsory tests every five years to ensure those working on the highway keep their knowledge and skills up to date, a Dept for Transport summit later this year to examine how street works could be better managed. |
RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Bulletin August 2009:5 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Fresh calls to curb gangmaster abuse. |
| Many workers still face exploitation at the hands of gangmasters, according to a new report from Oxfam. "Turning the tide: How to best protect workers employed by gangmasters, five years after Morecambe Bay" recommends that, in the long-term, a single enforcement agency should be established for all sectors in order to protect workers employed by labour providers. |
RoSPA Safety Express September/October 2009:1 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Driving best practice. |
| A new European-wide campaign to make work-related driving safer has been launched by the European Transport Safety Council. The three year long project PRAISE (Preventing Road Accidents and Injuries for the Safety of Employees) aims to spread the message that occup road safety should include driving to and from work as well as driving at work. |
Internet: www.etsc.eu/PRAISE.php RoSPA Safety Express September/October 2009:2 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Tread carefully. |
| With October's "Tyre Safety Month" fast approaching, why the subject should be high on the agenda for all businesses with cars, vans or trucks on its fleet. (Stuart Jackson) |
RoSPA Safety Express September/October 2009:5 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Darkness blamed for fatal fall. |
| A sheriff has ruled that the death of a woman who fell down a staircase at work could have been avoided if adequate lighting had been provided. Marie O'Neill was taking rubbish down the stairs at the Debenham's store in Glasgow when she tripped and hit her head on the concrete floor. She died later in hospital. |
RoSPA Safety Express September/October 2009:6 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Terminally ill worker receives damages. |
| A plumber has been awarded £175,000 in compensation after developing mesothelioma. Alan Ward had been exposed to asbestos during his work at a number of hospitals in the Wakefield area between 1964 and 1972. |
RoSPA Safety Express September/October 2009:6 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Fall leads to loss of fingers. |
| KB Pallets Ltd fined £3,000 and nearly £4,000 in costs after 21-year-old Robbi Palmer had the tops of three fingers amputated when his hand was pulled into a machine. He had tripped on a wire near machinery and put out his hand to steady himself. |
RoSPA Safety Express September/October 2009:7 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Long hours blamed for fatal crash. |
| A judge has asked for a company to be investigated after a young employee, who had worked six 13-hour night shifts, fell asleep at the wheel. Szymon Hajman had been working at Middlebrook Mushrooms Ltd and was driving home after his sixth night shift in a row when he lost control of his car. One of his passengers, who also worked for the firm, was killed in the crash. Hajman was convicted of death by dangerous driving but the judge told the court that he felt the company bore a "heavy responsibility" for the accident and asked the CPS to pass the case on for further investigation. |
RoSPA Safety Express September/October 2009:7 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Serious injuries after fall from height. |
| Kieron Walker, an 18-year-old industrial cleaner, sustained severe injuries when he fell down a shaft at a power station. He had been using a broom and dustpan to clear debris from an air duct and, although he had been given a harness, he detached it while working and fell over six metres. The Magistrates' Court heard that Mr Walker had not been given adequate supervision or training. Carillion (AMBS) Ltd pleaded guilty and the case has been sent to Crown Court for sentencing. |
RoSPA Safety Express September/October 2009:7 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Firm fined for factory accident. |
| Holdsworth Packaging Ltd fined £12,000 and costs of nearly £2,000. Wade Savage was working for Holdsworth when his fingers were trapped in a rolling press. Although the machine had a guard, it was not sufficient to stop such an injury. |
RoSPA Safety Express September/October 2009:7 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Fork lift campaign. |
| More people are killed in forklift truck accidents in September than at any other time of the year according to the Fork Lift Truck Assoc (FLTA). Aiming to cut accident rates, the FLTA will be running its National Fork Lift Safety Week on 21 - 27 September 2009. |
Internet: www.fork-truck.org.uk/safetyweek RoSPA Safety Express September/October 2009:8 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Handling metalworking fluids DVD. |
| A new DVD guide to using metalworking fluids safely has been produced by the UK Lubricants Assoc in conjunction with HSE. To obtain a copy, contact your fluid supplier or UKLA. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/metalworking/video RoSPA Safety Express September/October 2009:8 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Ladder advice. |
| The Ladder Association has published a new 12-page "LadderBook" which contains information on maintenance, training and safe use of this commonly used piece of equipment. |
Internet: http://ladderassociation.org.uk RoSPA Safety Express September/October 2009:9 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Back to basics. |
| A look at the causes of back pain and some advice on how workers can protect themselves. (Jacky Steemson) |
RoSPA Safety Express September/October 2009:10-11 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Worker involvement initiative aims to reduce accidents on site. |
| A new guide has been published which seeks to cut the number of accidents on construction sites through improved worker involvement. "The Short Guide to Improving Health and Safety on Construction Sites through Effective Worker Involvement" has been compiled by trade unions UCATT and Unite, alongside the HSE and ConstructionSkills. |
Hard copies from D?rthe Weimann at UCATT (dweimann@ucatt.org.uk) or download from www.strategicforum.org.uk/report.shtml RoSPA Safety Express September/October 2009:14 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Risk warning on A-roads. |
| Nearly 60% of A-roads and 25% of motorways have failed to rate as safe in the latest analysis of Britain's roads carried by the Road Safety Foundation. |
Internet: www.eurorap.org RoSPA Safety Express September/October 2009:15 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| HSE issues farm machinery safety reminder. |
| HSE has issued a reminder to farmers and farm workers on the dangers of farm machinery, specifically power take-off (PTO) shafts which drive machinery at the rear of tractors. The warning follows a safety competition run by Landra within the HSE stand at this year's Royal Highland Show. The results indicate a big gap in knowledge after a large number of visitors were unable to correctly answer simple questions on PTO shaft safely. Only 2 entrants out of 214 who took part in the questionnaire managed to answer all 10 questions correctly. Though organisers recognised that not all people who completed the questionnaire were necessarily users of farm equipment, they were still concerned at the low level of awareness. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/SCO/150/2009 7/9/09 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| HSE at TUC conference to get more workers health and safety involved. |
| HSE is using its presence at this month's TUC conference in Liverpool (14-17 Sept) to promote plans to get more employees involved in H&S where they work. |
HSE (National) Press Release E074:09 7/9/09 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Firms warned of electricity risk after Staffordshire worker suffers shock. |
| John Rowland Fallows, the owner of the site involved, and who trades as Fallows Recycling Services, fined £1,600 and costs of £2,214 under EWR 1989. The injured man, Andrew Perry, was visiting a waste site and was using a control lever to move the extending arm of his truck to tip waste materials, when it touched a set of 33,000 volt overhead electric cables. The electricity surged through the metal structure of the vehicle and through Mr Perry's body, throwing him from the vehicle, leaving him with burns to his arm and feet. |
HSE (National) Press Release HSE/WM/350/2009 8/9/09 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Beware of illegal gas fitters warns HSE. |
| Andrew Ian McLatchie fined £550 and costs of £500 under GSIUR 1998 and four breaches of the Trade Descriptions Act 1968. Breaches related to work carried out at 3 properties for which he was not CORGI (now 'Gas Safe') registered. Two properties involved work undertaken through insurance companies following the floods of 2007. Joint investigation between Hull City Council Trading Standards and HSE was launched after the owners of the properties discovered Mr McLatchie was not a registered gas fitter. When the work was checked for safety by the gas registration body, numerous defects were found. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release HSE/YH/334/2009 8/9/09 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| HSE warns schools after pupil is injured on work experience. |
| Deansfield High School in Wolverhampton employed Making Learning Work Ltd in 2005 to locate extended work experience placements for 32 pupils at a cost of £650 each. The company was given one year's conditional discharge and costs of £22,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3 following an injury to a pupil on a placement. A 14 year old student was placed at R&B Motor Services. The school was led to believe that Making Learning Work Ltd would carry out a full H&S audit and risk assessment prior to the pupil starting work at the garage. Checks failed to take place and the teenager was almost exclusively supervised by one employee who spoke very little English. During a petrol draining operation the teenager sustained a burn injury to his left hand. |
HSE (National) Press Release COI/WM/316/09 8/9/09 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Warning to scaffolding companies after firm prosecuted for collapse. |
| Linmar Scaffolding Ltd, fined £1,800 and costs of £5,400 under WHR 2005. The company put up unsecured scaffolding at a factory, which collapsed. No one was injured in the incident which occurred just 20 mins before a change of shift. Investigation showed that the scaffolding was not properly secured to the building which is a basic requirement for structures of this type. Scaffolding erection is the stock-in trade of this company, they failed to secure the scaffolding using appropriate ties. After the scaffolding was originally put up it remained standing for 11 days, so there was a significant risk of it collapsing. |
HSE (National) Press Release COI/W/473/09 8/9/09 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Electric shock for welder prompts HSE to encourage maintenance. |
| D A Green & Sons Ltd, fined £2,750 and costs of £1,950 under ERW 1989. Stewart Baxter, 24, suffered an electric shock while connecting a portable welder to an extension cable. He was sent to hospital and required a week off work for burns to his fingers after the incident. Other employees had also reported minor shock from the equipment over the years. HSE investigation found that much of the company's electrical installation was in a very poor state of repair, putting workers at risk of serious injury from its use. Much of the electrical equipment had been installed around 50 years ago and there was no record of it ever being maintained or tested. |
HSE (National) Press Release 9/9/09 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Complacency has no place, warns HSE's new head of offshore. |
| The new head of the HSE's Offshore Division has put tackling any industry complacency on safety at the top of his priority list. Steve Walker, who replaces Ian Whewall on his retirement, is keen to see that the good progress being made in improving safety does not lead the industry to take its eye off the ball. He was quick to warn that it only takes one inadequate pipework repair, or an unsound permit-to-work, to lead to another Piper Alpha-scale disaster. |
HSE (National) Press Release E075:09 10/9/09 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Company fined after exposing employee to risks of developing severe dermatitis. |
| Prysmian Cables and Systems Limited, fined £27,500 and costs of £10,700 under COSHH 2002. Investigations found that managers failed to control the risks of exposing employees to hazardous substances, including a known skin irritant, at the company's premises. This resulted in one employee suffering from severe dermatitis which had a huge impact on his life and was required to take retirement on medical grounds and his future employment prospects are extremely limited. |
HSE (South East) Press Release 9/9/09 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Construction workers race to Haydock safety event. |
| Haydock racecourse welcomed construction workers from across the North West in an event tackling workplace deaths and injuries in the region. Thousands of workers in the construction industry are killed or seriously injured every year, with 1 death and nearly 300 serious injuries in Merseyside alone in 2007/8. |
HSE (North West) Press Release 7/9/09 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Peter Tongue |
| Guilty, prison under Manslaughter, no separate penalties for 6 offences under HASAWA 1974 s3 in respect of the property where the fatalities occurred and gas safety deficiencies found in four other properties. Two facilities occurred from carbon monoxide poisoning at a private property. Investigation found that the warm air central heating boiler was spilling high levels of CO into the property. Peter Tongue, a CORGI registered installer, had serviced the warm air central heating boiler approx 2 weeks prior to the incident. Deficiencies of a gas safety nature were also found on other gas appliances that he had worked on in other properties. |
HSE Prosecution 4078034 29/6/09 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Jeremy Mark Freeth |
| Fined £3,000 under CSR 1997. Three employees of Thamesdown Recycling (Jeremy Freeth T/A) were asphyxiated whilst entering a metal silo that had contained waste rice pudding. The initial employee entered to undertake the fitting of an additional mixing paddle to the central stirrer just under the hatch area, dropped the spanner and went to the base of the silo to retrieve it and was overcome. The next 2 were overcome in attempting a rescue. All 3 were eventually rescued from the side hatch by the fire rescue team. A PN was served on access to confined spaces on the site without an appropriate system of work. |
HSE Prosecution 4148749 29/6/09 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Vanguard Wire Products Ltd |
| Fined £9,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. The IP was feeding wire into the cutting and straightening machine. He was witnessed by 2 people jumping back from the machine. The glove was visible at the entrance of the machine on the front guard. The IP had his right hand over this left hand with the tip of the finger in the glove. |
HSE Prosecution 4150967 2/7/09 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Hansen Transmissions Ltd |
| Fined £70,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. IP working on a condenser unit in a power station working at height and fell through mesh guarding. Fell 12 metres onto a pallet which absorbed fall resulting in only broken ribs and punctured lung. |
HSE Prosecution 4112559 3/7/09 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Veolia Environmental Services Birmingham Limited |
| Fined £100,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. IP employed by Hansen Transmissions Ltd, working on a condenser unit in a power station working at height and fell through mesh guarding. Fell 12 metres onto a pallet which absorbed fall resulting in only broken ribs and punctured lung. |
HSE Prosecution 4112597 3/7/09 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Forbes Technologies Limited |
| Fined £2,700 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employees sustained injuries when falling approx 3 metres. Employer failed to assess the risks from working at height. |
HSE Prosecution 4122522 3/7/09 Week ending: 11/09/09 |
| Employers fined after worker injured from double risk. |
| John Bowler Ltd fined £16,000 and costs of £5,408.40. Harlow Bros Ltd fined£16,000 and costs of £6,171.60. Philip James Bates fined £12,000 and costs of £2,062.40. Thomas Bates, son of Philip Bates, was working on the construction of a poultry shed directly under an 11kv overhead line. He was carrying metal roofing material which either contacted the power line or came into close proximity. The electric shock resulted in burns to his body and he collapsed and rolled off the roof, falling around 2.5 metres to the ground. Fortunately, he survived. |
HSE (National) Press Release COI/W/480/09 17/9/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| Euro week. |
| This year's European Week for Safety and Health at Work takes place next month on 19 to 23 October. The week will be used again this year to highlight the importance of effective risk assessment in the workplace. The week is organised by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) which has a selection of free risk assessment resources available on its website. |
Internet: http://osha.europa.eu/en/topics/riskassessment RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal September 2009:6 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| Contaminated scrap fire. |
| UK Resource Management (UKRM) fined a total of £15,000 and Wm Blythe fined £5,000. UKRM had a waste management licence allowing it to keep and treat various wastes, a condition required waste drums to be washed before crushing to ensure any hazardous waste residues were removed. They received 160 drums from Wm Blythe but, because their drum washing machinery had broken down, still decided the drums could be scrapped. Blythe's paperwork sent with the drums did not specify they had contained hazardous waste. The drums were rejected by a scrap metal merchant who also alerted the Env Agency. |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal September 2009:6 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| Hearing protection failings identified. |
| A study by the HSL which looked at the effectiveness of hearing protection in everyday work situations has found that many workers are being exposed to high noise levels because of incorrect use and poor fitting. |
Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr720.pdf RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal September 2009:9 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| Prevention key focus of hazardous waste plans. |
| A hierarchy for managing hazardous waste is one of the proposals put forward by the Government in new plans to ensure that all waste is managed in an environmentally sound manner. |
Internet: www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/hwm-strategy/index.htm RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal September 2009:11 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| Training fund. |
| H&S professionals interested in a career in occup hygiene can now apply for funding under a new bursary scheme set up by the British Occup Hygiene Society. Closing date for applications is 31 October 2009. |
Internet: www.bohs.org RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal September 2009:11 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| Traffic management. |
| Traffic management is a term frequently used in connection with road traffic, particularly where it is used on a temporary basis, such as when roadworks are in progress. However, traffic management is equally relevant to the workplace, in factories, warehouses, and construction sites, where it may need to be a more permanent feature of the landscape. (Benedict Ward) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal September 2009:17-20 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| Protect and survive. |
| Over the last five years, one in five of the 80,000 or so social workers employed in the UK have been absent from work for more than two weeks due to mental health conditions such as stress or anxiety - one person's story. (Nick Cook) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal September 2009:23-27 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| New age issues. |
| Workforce demographics are changing. Europeans are living longer than ever before: on average nine years more than in 1960. In the UK, the number of people aged over 65 will double within the next 25 years, meaning around a quarter of England's population will be 65 or over. But what do these changes mean for employers? (Sarah Tullet) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal September 2009:31-35 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| Reporting and involvement. |
| One of the key themes in the HSE strategy for preventing death, injury and ill health in Great Britain's workplaces is the need to reinvigorate workforce involvement in the management of H&S. Why encouraging workers to report near misses or unsafe acts/conditions is the first step to true involvement. (Roger Bibbings) |
RoSPA Occup Safety and Health Journal September 2009:42-43 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| Campaign puts North West aerial fitters in the picture over safety. |
| Aerial fitters and satellite installers preparing for the North West's big digital switchover this autumn were warned not to 'switch off to safety'. Hundreds of homes in the region could need new aerials or satellite dishes fitted over the next 3 months to get ready to receive digital TV signals. Inspectors from the region's local authorities and the HSE will be carrying out spot checks on installers to ensure that the work is done safely and using the correct equipment. |
HSE (National) Press Release E079:09 14/9/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| HSE warns employers to maintain equipment and provide training after forklift injury. |
| David John Alcock fined £1,750 and costs of £2,250 under PUWER 1998 and LOLER 1998. A 17 year old employee was operating an FLT when it overturned causing serious foot injuries. Although the youngster had been told not to drive the FLT, he still managed to use it after the key had been left in the controls. The vehicle was found to have a number of defects, while Mr Alcock was unable to produce any record to show that a thorough examination under LOLER had been carried out. It also emerged that another employee had been using the truck, as well as Mr Alcock, without adequate training. |
HSE (National) Press Release 16/9/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| HSE launches campaign to inform Polish and other migrant construction workers. |
| A campaign has been launched to inform Polish construction workers based in London about on-site heath and safety. Research has suggested that foreign workers are vulnerable to potentially dangerous working practices and the Polish community is one of three nationalities receiving advice in particular. As well as employing a Polish outreach worker, H&S information has been produced in Polish and other languages, for example wallet sized cards. A dedicated phone line, online microsite and an email address have been set up so workers can call 0207 556 2239, email informacja@hse.gsi.gov.uk or visit www.hse.gov.uk/construction/polski with any queries. |
HSE (National) Press Release E077:09 18/9/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| HSE at TUC conference to get more workers health and safety involved. |
| The HSE has used this week's TUC conference in Liverpool to promote plans to get more employees involved in health and safety where they work. HSE research suggests that involving workers has a positive effect on health and safety performance, and there is strong evidence that unionised workplaces with health and safety representatives are safer and healthier as a result. Accident rates in workplaces where employees genuinely feel they have a say in health and safety matters are 14 per cent, compared to a significantly higher rate of 26 per cent in workplaces where employees are not involved. |
HSE (North East) and (Yorkshire and the Humber) Press Release 14/9/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| Book now for Cumbrian construction safety event. |
| A free major safety event tackling deaths and injuries in construction, the nation's most dangerous industry, will be held in Cumbria on Wednesday 30 September. The free training day at the University of Cumbria's Conference Centre has been organised by the HSE and will offer up to date information on the most important health and safety issues specific to the construction industry. Bookings can be made now by telephoning 01228 634100. |
HSE (North West) Press Release 16/9/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| Memorial concert rocks for asbestos victim. |
| Some of Sussex's finest musicians have rocked the night away in memory of Horsham's local music legend, the late Graham Ansell. The day was set up to raise funding for the Graham Ansell Mesothelioma Fund (GAMF). Graham, 48, was key to the local music scene for over 30 years. In 2006 he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a terminal cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibres, he worked with asbestos during his career as a carpenter. Every year there are still around 4,000 deaths from asbestos related diseases. |
HSE (South East) Press Release COISE/1609 16/9/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| HSE concludes Francesca Anobile sledging investigation. |
| Following the conclusion of the inquest into the tragic sledging accident which resulted in the death of teenager Francesca Anobile, South Yorkshire Police and the HSE have announced they have concluded their enquiries and will not be taking any further action in relation to the incident. The accident happened at Rother Valley Country Park following the heaviest snowfall the region has seen in years. Francesca and 4 other friends were sledging down a 270 metre disused grass ski slope on an upturned roof of a Land Rover. Francesca sustained fatal head injuries when she was thrown from the makeshift sledge as it went through a section of wire stock fencing that had been erected to control stock grazing 18 months earlier. How the park was managed was not found to be at fault in relation to the incident. |
HSE (North West)Press Release 16/9/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| Darren Morgan |
| Fined £400 under GSIUR 1998. CORGI report received re work carried out by Darren Morgan whilst not CORGI registered. |
HSE Prosecution 4156780 6/7/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| Simpsons Malt Limited |
| Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Unsafe system of work leading to a fall from height. IP fell from the forks of an FLT whilst attempting to repair a roller shutter door. Lack of information, instruction, training and supervision. |
HSE Prosecution 4110867 7/7/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| RNS Construction (Dorset) Ltd |
| Fined a total of £8,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3 and s2. Director of the company sustained fatal injuries when a large concrete panel fell over trapping him within an excavation. |
HSE Prosecution 4117394 7/7/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| McKay Builders |
| Fined £350 under GSIUR 1998. Prosecution of Peter Welke, who is also known as Peter McKay (trading as McKay Builders) for being in control of illegal gas-fitting work at a property. He subcontracted work to a gas fitter who was not registered. |
HSE Prosecution 4114668 8/7/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| McKay Builders |
| Fined £350 under GSIUR 1998. Prosecution of Peter Welke, who is also known as Peter McKay (trading as McKay Builders) for carrying out illegal gas-fitting work at a property without being registered and didn't have the training he needed to work with gas. |
HSE Prosecution 4114733 8/7/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| ECG Building Maintenance Ltd |
| Fined a total of £3,700 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and s3. Failed to provide and maintain a safe system of work to control the risk of exposure to asbestos during the removal of asbestos insulated galvanised water storage tanks from within the roof space, and to provide employees with sufficient information, instruction, training and supervision as was necessary to ensure so far as reasonably practicable the health and safety at work of employees, where they were exposed to asbestos. Asbestos insulated water storage tanks were removed from the loft spaces and there was a failure to ensure that effective measures were taken to prevent the spread of asbestos whereby asbestos fibre were found in the common stairwell so exposing members of the public to asbestos. |
HSE Prosecution 4119169 9/7/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| Fife Council |
| Fined £10,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Failure to manage the removal of asbestos insulated water storage tank by not providing and maintaining a safe system of work to control the risk of exposure to, and the spread of, asbestos during the removal of asbestos insulated water storage tanks by ECG Building Maintenance Ltd from within the roof space, whereupon employees of ECG Building Maintenance Ltd and residents were exposed to asbestos. |
HSE Prosecution 4119176 9/7/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| K B Pallets Limited |
| Fined £3,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Fingers amputated. |
HSE Prosecution 4147062 9/7/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| K J Plant Development Limited |
| Fined a total of £14,000 under PUWER 1998, HASAWA 1974 s2 and MHSWR 1999. |
HSE Prosecution 4161788 9/7/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| The Wrigley Co Ltd |
| Fined a total of £150,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 and PUWER 1998. Accident to employee who was scraping gum from the trim return conveyor belt of sheeting machine number 4. Machine was not isolated and safe working procedure not followed. His arm was dragged into the machine roller causing fractures and crushing injuries. |
HSE Prosecution 4101044 10/7/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| Mr R Vincent |
| Fined £2,000 under WHR 2005. Scaffold without intermediary guard rails. Gap between building and house too great (greater than 300mm). Gap from step off with ladder to working platform too great (approx 700mm). |
HSE Prosecution 4161269 10/7/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| Marshalls Mono Limited |
| Fined a total of £3,000 under MHSWR 1999 and PUWER 1998. He was putting a mould onto an industrial conveyor when finger became trapped in a drive chain. |
HSE Prosecution 4161582 10/7/09 Week ending: 18/09/09 |
| HSE prosecutes Port company following death of employee. |
| Associated British Ports fined £266,000 and costs of £75,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Brian Vince, a 60 year old cargo handler, was working as a ramp man servicing a roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) ferry. He was standing on the bridge between the ferry and the quayside (also called the 'linkspan'), co-ordinating vehicles on and off the ferry when he was struck by a reversing trailer. Mr Vince died at the scene. The company was prosecuted for failing to ensure that persons in their employment were not exposed to risk and failed to ensure the provision and implementation of a safe system of work for the ro-ro operation. |
HSE (East) and (London) HSE-E-20 Press Releases 21/9/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Impact of Work at Heights Regs to be scrutinised. |
| The House of Lords is to examine the Work at Heights Regulations 2005 (WHR) to assess how they have been implemented by Government, and their impact on those affected by them. The Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee is calling for evidence from organisations and individuals with experience of WHR to determine how they have worked. |
Internet: www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/merits.cfm SHP September 2009:7 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Confusion at heart of SMEs' lack of compliance, says RRAC. |
| The area of personal injury law and the role of claims management companies needs to be examined as part of a package of measures to help clarify H&S responsibilities for small organisations. This is the conclusion of the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council, whose latest report says that small organisations are confused about H&S due to a variety of factors. |
Internet: www.berr.gov.uk/file/file52348.pdf SHP September 2009:7 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Money, money, money. |
| Are the days of the HSE recouping its full costs in successful prosecutions numbered, thanks to a reform of the way in which such costs are awarded from Central Funds? A thought that it would be only fair. (Michael Appleby) |
SHP September 2009:17 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Corridor of uncertainty. |
| Can the Police Service fully comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act and, at the same time, deliver the service level expected by the general public? An exploration of the situations in which police officers can act bravely and yet, by doing so, expose themselves and their management to prosecution. (Chris Roberts and Richard Booth) |
SHP September 2009:38-40 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Don't panic! |
| In a climate where the phrase "health and safety" is far too often misused or ridiculed, there is a risk that the very real duties that employers owe to their staff and others will be forgotten in the maelstrom of hype and hysteria that is currently surrounding the subject of swine flu. An outline of the practical steps employers can take to cope with the "second wave" whilst keeping things in perspective. (Tim Hill) |
SHP September 2009:42-44 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Eyes on the prize. |
| Latest figures from the HSE suggest that the offshore industry has made significant progress on a range of safety issues and is gradually getting better at involving employees in safety matters. How one oil company actively encourages its workforce to stay alert to issues of safety and stop work if they feel this could be jeopardised. (George Allison) |
SHP September 2009:47-48 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Kitchen confidential. |
| Risks and hazards abound in the busy, hot and confined space that is the average commercial kitchen, and the sources for many of these are the myriad gas and electrical systems and appliances necessary for running large-scale catering operations. An outline of the regulations and standards governing such equipment, and a suggestion as to how practitioners can ensure compliance. (Bernard Patrick) |
SHP September 2009:50-52 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Dual purpose. |
| These days, many H&S professionals also enjoy working actively in the environmental field, and are able to meet the challenges that both disciplines offer. However, not all practitioners see the benefits of combining the two. Some practical tips for those who, by choice or selection, are responsible for environmental management. (James Draper) |
SHP September 2009:54-56 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Three's NOT a crowd. |
| An emphasis on the importance of using credible contractors for installing and maintaining fire safety equipment and an explanation of how to identify them. (John Davidson) |
SHP September 2009:58-61 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Church and trader fined for serious offences. |
| Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries International ordered to pay £30,000 in fines and costs under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The case related to the fire risks posed to the congregation at its premises in southeast London. A Prohibition Notice had been issued in June 2007 which restricted the number of people on the ground floor to 600 at any one time. In January 2008, an inspection found that around 1,200 people were in the main hall. In a separate case, Michael Snow, who runs Treasure Trove Fairs, was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and to pay fines of £24,000 and costs totalling £9,000. Fire officers held a normal inspection on Mr Snow's premises and made recommendations, which Mr Snow agreed to complete before he could use the building as an indoor car boot market. When officers again visited the premises, they found they were being used, but the works to ensure it was safe had not been completed, placing customers at serious risk. Among identified safety failures were a lack of alarm and detection, blocked escape routes, and locked fire doors. |
Fire Risk Management September 2009:5 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| A safe diagnosis. |
| The evacuation challenges posed by healthcare buildings. (Richard Rankin) |
Fire Risk Management September 2009:11-13 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Design with care. |
| In complex modern hospital buildings, compliance with traditional fire safety design guidance can be impractical - a case study. (David Quinn) |
Fire Risk Management September 2009:14-16 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Furniture thoughts. |
| A reflection on the success of the UK Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations in ensuring domestic safety. (Bob Graham) |
Fire Risk Management September 2009:28-31 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Housing issues. |
| Highlighting a problem with the fire safety guidance that applies to dwellings being altered to provide accommodation as houses in multiple occupation. (Alan Stokes) |
Fire Risk Management September 2009:37-39 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Death and injuries prompt potato harvest warning. |
| As the main potato harvesting gets under way, the HSE is calling on farmers and contractors to take extra care. The plea comes after a 34 year old man was killed in Fife earlier this month while apparently working on a potato harvester that was powered up. HSE is also investigating an incident in which a Lincolnshire worker suffered severe cuts trying to clear a chopping mechanism and another where a Cambridgeshire farmer had his arm crushed when it was dragged into some cleaning rollers. |
HSE (National) Press Release E081:09 21/9/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| HSE launches campaign to inform Romanian and other migrant construction workers. |
| A campaign has been launched to inform Romanian construction workers based in London about on-site health and safety. Research has suggested that foreign workers are vulnerable to potentially dangerous working practices and the Romanian community is one of three nationalities receiving advice in particular. |
HSE (National) Press Release E078:09 21/9/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Safety regulator disappointed by 'killer' advert ruling. |
| HSE has expressed its deep disappointment at a decision by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) to uphold a complaint about its 'Asbestos: The Hidden Killer' awareness campaign. The ASA has upheld one complaint from a single source challenging HSE on the number of workers it quoted as dying as a result of exposure to asbestos fibres. The ASA agreed that the use of numbers of asbestos related deaths was an effective and appropriate tactic to bring home to tradesmen the serious risks they face in disturbing asbestos, but decided that HSE should have made clear in its radio advertisements that the figures were based partly on estimates. The ASA also said that the numbers of deaths per week quoted in relation to certain trades should be revised as it considered that they had been over estimated according to the raw data. |
HSE (National) Press Release E080:09 21/9/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| HSE increases flexibility of first aid at work training regime. |
| The HSE is making changes to the first aid at work (FAW) training regime to make it more flexible, saving businesses time and money without compromising health and safety. The new guidance will see the mandatory 4 day FAW training courses reduced to 3 days and there will also be an option for a 1 day course for smaller businesses. All FAW qualified first aiders will have to attend a 2 day requalification course every 3 years. |
HSE (National) Press Release E082:09 23/9/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| New Zealand officials share lessons with their HSE counterparts. |
| A Senior Manager from the Department of Labour (DoL) in New Zealand has been in Great Britain this week to learn lessons from, and share knowledge with, the HSE. The 1 week visit has been an opportunity for New Zealand officials to see in detail how Great Britain's health and safety regulator carries out its duties and discuss how it prepares to continue to drive down death and injury rate in the workplace. |
HSE (National) Press Release E086:09 21/9/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Police force fined after shooting of civilian staff member. |
| Thames Valley Police fined £40,000 and costs of £25,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. PC David Micklethwaite was fined £8,000 and costs of £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s7. HSE is issuing a stark reminder to employers that a risk assessment with no follow up action does not stop serious injuries in the workplace, following the shooting of a civilian call-taker. PC Micklethwaite, a police firearms instructor was conducting basic firearms awareness training with new civilian police control room staff. As part of the course he used ammunition from an unmarked Quality Street tin which had been stored in one of the forces armouries, loaded what he thought was a non-live round into a revolver, and then repeatedly pulled the trigger to demonstrate how the cylinder of the revolver rotated. The ammunition was live and the gun fired hitting a civilian worker in the stomach, who suffered major injuries and was in hospital for a total of 22 days and has not yet been able to return to work. |
HSE (National) Press Release COI/SE/1809 24/9/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| School fruit and vegetables tested for pesticide residues. |
| The Pesticide Residues Committee (PRC) has published findings from the Department of Health's School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme for Spring 2009. The second report of the school year 2008/09 found that the fruit and vegetables supplied to schools met legal standards with regard to pesticide residues levels and that the presence of residues would be unlikely to have any effect on those who ate the food. The report contained the results for apple, banana, carrot, pear and soft citrus fruits. |
HSE (National) Press Release E085:09 24/9/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| First 2009 pesticide residue figures released. |
| The Pesticide Residues Committee has published findings from its first quarterly report in 2009. The report found that the majority of foods had no detectable residues and those that did contain pesticides were not likely to be harmful to health. Tests found that 392 out of 570 samples of 16 different foods tested had no detectable residues. Also 164 samples contained levels below the maximum residue level (MRL) - the legally permitted amount. |
HSE (National) Press Release E083:09 24/9/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Pesticide residues committee publish 2008 annual report. |
| The Pesticide Residues Committee (PRC) publishes their 2008 annual report today. Key findings are that residues found this year are unlikely to affect people's health, even vulnerable groups such as older people and children. The results of the 2008 monitoring programme showed no detection of any pesticide residue in 53.8% of food sampled and 1.2% contained residues above the permitted maximum levels. Full risk assessments of those cases were carried out, which included looking at the most vulnerable people such as children and the elderly. This year, as in all recent years, nearly all the residues found were not likely to affect people's health. |
HSE (National) Press Release E084:09 24/9/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Construction company fined after fall from height. |
| ROK Building Ltd, fined £20,000 and costs of £17,397.14 under HASAWA 1974 s4. The floor of an airbridge at Heathrow Terminal 4 was being renovated by ROK Building Ltd. A self employed flooring contractor, Mr Sterry, was working on contract to ROK Building Ltd. Immediately before the incident, the floor covering had been lifted but the underlying subfloor was found to be rotten. A ROK Building employee lifted the plywood panels so the only remaining floor was a thin and poorly supported, metal sheet. When Mr Sterry stood on this he fell over 3 metres straight onto the concrete surface of the apron. As a result Mr Sterry received severe injuries to his legs. ROK Building Ltd had identified that work at height might be an important factor in their earlier assessments, but failed to implement the control measures that they identified. |
HSE (London) Press Release 21/9/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Death of worker at height serves as a warning to employers. |
| Mobile Mini UK Ltd fined £80,000 and costs of £8,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Employee David Boulton was unloading a temporary accommodation unit from a lorry. He was standing on top of the unit in order to attach a sling from a crane when he fell on to the road, suffering fatal head injuries. |
HSE (North East) and (West Midlands) Press Releases 21/9/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| HSE warning after incident at road works leaves motorcyclist in intensive care. |
| Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Services Ltd, fined £15,000 and costs of £31,139.30 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Three of the company's employees were carrying out repairs to a road near Chelmsford. They had reduced the road width to a single lane and had put in place a simple control system with one person using a Stop/Go board. There were also signs set out in advance of the roadworks to warn other road users. However, a motorcyclist travelling in the open side of the carriageway collided head-on with a car, travelling towards him in the opposite direction and suffered serious injuries. The HSE investigation identified the road layout the company used was not appropriate for the traffic flows. In particular, a road sign to alert users to the fact that there was traffic control ahead was not put out, nor was there a supervisor in charge of the works gang. |
HSE (South East) Press Release HSE-E-18 21/9/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Horticulture company fined after worker dies in Annan. |
| Humax Horticulture Ltd, fined £23,300 under HASAWA 1974 s3. The company failed to ensure proper health and safety standards were in place, following the death of an agency worker. Colin Neil McCourt, aged 55, died when a tip bucket he was welding moved while he was working on it, crushing him to death. |
HSE (Scotland) Press Release E085:09 22/9/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| HSE issues warning after NHS Trust fails to comply with dermatitis notice. |
| The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, fined £6,500 and costs of £4,500 under HASAWA 1974 s33 and RIDDOR 1995. HSE inspectors visited the hospital and found the NHS Trust was not correctly managing the risk of staff becoming sensitised to latex, mainly from latex gloves. Inspectors served 2 INs - the first to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the use of latex and the second notice issued to control the risks identified. The trust needed 2 extensions and significant support from the HSE before it complied with the first notice. The second notice was extended 3 times, but when HSE inspectors visited the Trust they found it had still not complied with the notice. Inspectors also discovered the Trust had failed to report that a member of staff had been diagnosed as having latex-linked occupational dermatitis. |
HSE (East) Press Release 23/9/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| HSE issues warning to crane companies after major crane collapse. |
| Select Plant Hire Company Ltd, fined £100,000 and costs of £33,196.45 under PUWER 1998 and HASAWA 1974 s3. The jib of a tower crane owned and operated by the company toppled backwards and became detached from the mast. The jib, together with the driver's cab, fell through the air, crashing onto the roof of an hotel. The incident happened during a relatively rare operation to extend the height of the tower crane from 60m to 98m, using a piece of equipment known as a climbing frame. The team employed to extend the height of the crane had not used the equipment before and had not had any specific training on its use. The crane driver was trapped on the roof for over an hour before rescue services were able to get him down. He suffered extensive injuries, including 3 compression fractures of the spine, a fractured lumbar vertebra, 2 broken ribs and a fractured skull. |
HSE (London) Press Release 23/9/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| HSE prosecutes water filtration company after worker is severely injured. |
| Eimco Water Technologies Ltd, fined £12,000 and costs of £3,661.40 under HASAWA 1974 s3. They supply water intake systems for power stations, seawater is taken in, re-circulated to cool the power station and then pumped back out to sea. Grzegorz Trafisz, a 25 year old contractor, was working at a pumping station and was assembling 2 components of a stop-log, which is a steel lock gate used to isolate or control the flow of water. Each weighed approx 2,000 kg and were positioned approx 0.6 metres above the ground on axle stands, normally used for motor vehicles. One became unsupported and fell on Mr Trafisz, who was working underneath. He suffered fractures to his pelvis. |
HSE (South East) and (East) Press Release 24/9/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Kepak UK Ltd |
| Fined £25,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Two employees contracted Legionnaires disease at premises of a butchery processing company. Significant levels of legionella were found to be present at three locations. A risk assessment carried out in May 2001 set out that simple and periodic checks should be carried on Kepak's domestic water system, and that the control measures should be monitored and reviewed. Kepak failed to carry out these checks. |
HSE Prosecution 4133231 13/7/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Stokes Forgings Limited |
| Fined a total of £5,000 under PUWER 1998 and MHSWR 1999. IP was working on a 6-spindle drill, carrying out a forging job which required a large hole and a smaller one to be drilled into a forging. |
HSE Prosecution 4154239 14/7/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Gordon Connolly |
| Fined a total of £5,000 under GSIUR 1998. Since 2004 HSE has received a steady stream of complaints regarding Mr Connolly carrying out gas work whilst not being CORGI registered. These continued after Mr Connolly gave an undertaking to cease doing gas work in complying, by other means, to an IN served on him to become CORGI registered. |
HSE Prosecution 4133028 15/7/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
| Anthony Wightman |
| Conditional Discharge under HASAWA 1974 s33. Contravention of a PN. Mr Wightman continued to dive commercially for scallops without the presence of a standby diver and so contravened the terms of the PN issued to him. |
HSE Prosecution 4113711 8/7/09 Week ending: 25/09/09 |
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HSE Prosecutions Database
The HSE did not post prosecutions for about a year from January until November 2006. There is therefore be a gap in our database from a hearing date of 24 January 2006 until 1 November 2006. Anyone not finding a case which may have been heard between January and November 2006, should therefore try searching the HSE Prosecutions database.
When the HSE relaunched the Prosecution database in January 2007, after a break of around a year, they appear to have changed the format of the case numbers. Therefore, for all entries with a hearing date before the 24 January 2006 you should search the HSE database using the defendants name instead of the case number we have quoted if you wish to check details for yourself.
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